1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display module supporting structure and electronic equipment employing the display module supporting structure.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 6 simply illustrates a liquid crystal module 1 (display module) employing a conventional display module supporting structure, when viewed from a rear side.
FIG. 7 simply shows a condition, where an entire device 9 (liquid crystal television) including the liquid crystal module 1 is supported by a wall 2, when viewed from a left side of the liquid crystal module 1.
To a rear surface 3 of the liquid crystal module 1, two brackets 4 serving as intermediate support members are fixed. The respective brackets 4 are arranged at locations symmetrical left to right, so as to interpose a center (an alternate long and short line in FIG. 6) of the rear surface 3 in conditions to straddle over a circuit board 8, carried on the rear surface 3, in an upper and lower direction. The terms upper, lower, left and right as used herein shall be based on upper, lower, left and right when the liquid crystal module 1 is viewed from a front side. The circuit board 8 is a board on which various circuits and electronic components for realizing operation of the liquid crystal module 1 are mounted.
The brackets 4 are substantially arch-shaped members made of sheet metal materials and generally include upper bridge leg portions 4a connected to an upper region of the rear surface 3, lower bridge leg portions 4b connected to a lower region of the rear surface 3, and connection bridge portions 4c interconnecting the upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4b. The upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4b are formed at ends thereof (forward end portions) with abutment surfaces 4a1, 4b1 for abutting against the rear surface 3. The brackets 4 are fixed to the rear surface 3 by causing the respective abutment surfaces 4a1, 4b1 to be screw-stopped onto the rear surface 3. When the brackets 4 are fixed to the rear surface 3, the connection bridge portions 4c become parallel to the rear surface 3.
As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of screw-holes 4c1 are formed in the connection bridge portions 4c and surfaces of tip ends (rearward end portions) of the upper and lower bridge leg portions 4a, 4b. The screw-holes 4c1 are screw-holes which are to be used when a wall-hanging support member 5 (external support member) for fixing the liquid crystal television 9 to the wall 2, and the brackets 4 are fixed. In short, by causing the left and right brackets 4 to be fixed onto the rear surface 3, causing the wall-hanging support member 5 to be fixed with respect to rear sides of the left and right brackets 4 by screw-stopping using the screw-holes 4c1, and then causing the wall-hanging support member 5 to be fixed to the wall 2, the liquid crystal television 9 including the liquid crystal module 1 is supported in a wall-hung state. In an actual device, a front cabinet 6 is mounted to a front surface side of the liquid crystal module 1 and a rear cabinet 7 is mounted so as to cover the rear surface side of the liquid crystal module 1 including the brackets 4 (refer to an alternate long and two short dashes lines in FIG. 7). In portions of the rear cabinet 7 which positionally correspond to the screw-holes 4c1, through-holes 7a through which screws for fixing the brackets 4 and the wall-hanging support member 5 are to be inserted are formed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-30310 discloses a technique in which a display device is wall-hooked and supported by a wall-hanging support device which includes a hook unit fixed to a rear cover of the display device and a plate unit fixed to a wall.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-13890 discloses a display device fixing system which can fix a leg (rotary base) of a display device regardless of a size and shape of the leg.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-206901 discloses a universal mount unit on the side of a display, which can be also used as a mounting fitting for wall-hooking, a mounting fitting for ceiling-mounting and a mounting fitting for a floor stand.
Also, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3116087 discloses a technique in which a TV body is supported through a stand, utilizing a bracket on the side of the body, which is attached to a front cabinet, and a support bracket which the stand has.
The structure in which the liquid crystal module 1 is supported by such substantially arch-shaped brackets 4 as to be described above has the following problems.
In short, the brackets 4 are fixed to the liquid crystal module 1 in the conditions to straddle the circuit board 8, so that heights of the components to be mounted on the circuit board 8 are restricted due to the presence of the connection bridge portions 4c passing above the circuit board 8. Concretely, it is necessary to make a height H1 with respect to predetermined components C located under the connection bridge portions 4c, which is measured from the circuit board 8, less than a height H2 as measured between the circuit board 8 and the connection bridge portions 4c when the circuit board 8 is carried on the rear surface 3. For this reason, it is occasionally necessary to cause the predetermined components C to be mounted on the circuit board 8 so as to be laid on the circuit board 8, thus making it difficult to design the circuit board 8 in which a plurality of electronic components, patterns, etc. aggregate densely.
Moreover, the place at which the circuit board 8 is arranged with respect to the rear surface 3 is limited to an area interposed between the upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4b, so that degrees of freedom in the arranging location of the circuit board 8 is reduced.
Moreover, it is necessary to fix the circuit board 8 to the liquid crystal module 1 prior to fixing of the brackets 4 and, when the circuit board 8 is to be removed from the liquid crystal module 1 after the brackets 4 are once fixed, it is necessary to previously remove the brackets 4, so that operabilities are considerably poor.
Moreover, at the time of forming the brackets 4, it is necessary to obtain spaces between the upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4b for allowing the circuit board 8 to be arranged therein, so that sheet metals for the brackets are forcedly cut away while being left at regions thereof which occupy between regions of the sheet metals, which correspond to the upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4b, and which correspond to the connection bridge portions 4c. The cut-away regions of the sheet metals are discarded without being used for the brackets 4, so that this is uneconomical and wastes resources.
Moreover, correspondingly to the regions of the sheet metals, between the regions of the sheet metals which correspond to the upper bridge leg portions 4a and the lower bridge leg portions 4c, which are considerably cut away while being left at the areas thereof corresponding to the connection bridge portions 4c, strengths of the entire brackets 4 are liable to be lowered.
Moreover, the connection bridge portions 4c are located in the rear of the circuit board 8, so that a thickness of the entire device including the liquid crystal module 1 is increased correspondingly to thicknesses D′ of the connection bridge portions 4c themselves, thus providing one of the causes of preventing the device from being made thin.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2006-30310, 2001-13890 and 2000-206901 which have been described above disclose means mounted to an exterior of a housing body of a display device for supporting the display device from the outside. However, the means are not adapted to solve the above problems that are brought about when the display module is supported utilizing the substantially arch-shaped brackets in the interior of the housing body of the display device. Similarly, the technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3116087 is not adapted to solve the above problems that are brought about when the display module is supported using the substantially arch-shaped brackets in the interior of the housing body of the display device.